Contrast
by altaratheblack
Summary: During the harsh throes of a journey to save the world, Roan and Mareg are looking for different things. But instead, they find each other.


The sounds of the forest were what woke him up. There were birds chirping and fluttering through the trees, leaves on the ground rustling slightly in the wind, the calls and pacing of wild animals all around them. As the young boy opened his eyes, he was met with a beautiful image; above him, sunbeams seemed to reach out towards him, finding their way to him through tiny spots between the leaves, and a green light was given off high up in the foliage. He sat up, stretching his arms to the sky and pushing his neck towards the ground, and yawned, shaking his body of sleep.

When he looked around, he could see that the others were already up. Blankets and cots had been left behind, the tents abandoned with the morning's promise of a good fishing trip. Presumably, anyway. It was the only explanation for the missing fishing rods and the tracks that led down to the nearby water source. Looking down, the boy could see each of his friends' footprints among these tracks—Elena's, Ryudo's…and Mareg's. Yawning again, the boy took to setting up a fire to cook the spoils he knew his friends would bring back.

By the time Ryudo had approached camp, he could already smell the familiar scent of a fire burning, and the steam in the distance was an inviting reminder that the camp was ready for their return. As he and the two others made their way back joyously, boasting about their catches and holding up the fish for each other to see, the little clearing where they had set up came into view. Along with it was the sight of a young boy busily tending to the fire he had smelled earlier.

"Hey, Roan. Thanks for setting all this up for us," Ryudo said cheerfully.

Roan simply smiled, and Ryudo went into his tent to gather his tools used for cleaning the fish. Elena followed soon after, to ask if she could borrow his tools, and if Ryudo would teach her how to do it.

Then Mareg pushed back the branches to enter the clearing, and gave a warm smile to Roan. Coming to sit beside him and putting a cool, muscled hand on his shoulder, he said in his deep friendly growl of a voice, "Good morning, little one."

Roan felt himself begin to blush, and a smile played across his face. "Good morning, Mareg. How did you sleep?" he asked in a spirited tone.

Mareg's ears twitched, and his tail flicked around behind the two of them nervously. He could smell the embarrassment on the child, but it was not an unwelcome scent. The boy's shoulder under his great hand was an anchor point, and it felt as though this connection was the only thing keeping him from floating away. For some reason, he was just…happy. Lightheaded, and a bit dizzy, strangely, but very happy indeed. Then he heard the sounds of his companions emerging from within the folds of one of the tents, and he knew he had to let go, but not before squeezing the boy's shoulder before affectionately. He stood tall and proud, and then declared in his booming voice, "Let us eat!"

There was simply no denying it; Roan was an excellent cook. He heated the catfish to perfection and then seasoned it with just the right amounts of salty, sweet and spicy to create a sublime meal out of a modest catch on spearing sticks. As Elena and Ryudo munched happily on this delicacy, Roan took a quick glance at the great beast man. He was much taller than Roan, and much more muscular. _But,_ Roan thought, _though he is muscular and strong, his true strength lies within his heart and his wisdom._

As they cleaned up after themselves and began to pack up camp, Roan snuck a few more glances at the beast, and once or twice even noticed these glances being returned when Mareg was not quick enough to avert his gaze. Roan was sure Mareg knew that he was being stared at, but was grateful still that he said nothing about it out loud, like Roan had feared he would. Soon enough, they were on their way, out to leave the comfort of this leafy haven for the long journey across the Baked Plains.

It grew hotter and hotter as they reached the edges of the forest, and the great stretch of dry land that lay ahead came into view quicker and quicker, or so it seemed to Roan. His nervousness was growing in direct proportion to the distance they were traveling, His stomach tightened into knots that were somehow still filled with butterflies when they entered the desert. Mareg saw the little one's troubled face once or twice, and though it was very hard to tell between the heat, their difference in height and the tragically short lengths of time in which he was able to look at Roan without anyone noticing.

Three more days and two more nights this pattern insisted, Roan cooking, little good-morning hellos, hunting, and sleep. And sometimes, before Roan went to sleep, he would sit next to the great beast man and they would talk, about everything and nothing in the pleasant heat of a summer's night, under the stars and on the endless desert plain. When the conversation again turned to the subjects of the night before that sunbeam-filled awakening, Roan tried his best to keep his cool.

"Are you sure that our decision still fits you, little one?" Mareg said, several times.

And each time, Roan would respond with, "O-of course. Why would I change my mind?"

So the days went, and so they eventually reached the town of Lilgue. The colorful roofs of the structures around them immediately stood out for everyone in the group, not because they weren't familiar with this style, but because it took a little bit of time to adjust from seeing yellow and brown sand for three days and then suddenly being overwhelmed with a flurry of color. They walked down the mainroad just a short distance before they stood in front of the inn. Roan's heart was now pounding in his chest, and it was all he could do to not fidget or partake in any other nervous ticks. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Ryudo cleared his throat to speak, earning a funny look from Skye, the bird on Ryudo's shoulder.

"Elena and I are going to buy some supplies farther into town," he said, eyeing the contrast of a pair. "Are you guys going to be alright alone for a few hours?"

Roan felt a blush creep up into his cheeks and the butterflies in his stomach increase their speed of flight. He tried to open his mouth to answer, but all he could manage to let out was a small stutter and finally a sigh, looking to Mareg to save his skin. Mareg obliged quickly.

"We will be fine. Do not worry for our well being; we have shown that we can take care of ourselves." He said, swishing his tail side to side in a rather comforting way. Ryudo nodded and motioned to Elena to move along. They walked together down the street, fidgeting with the moneybag and talking about their choices. As soon as they were out of earshot, Mareg put a hand on Roan's shoulder, who had been staring down the street after the two as though he wished they would come back. Smiling down at him and squeezing his shoulder to catch his attention once again, Roan jumped out of his daydreamed expression and looked up at his companion, now blushing freely. "Let's be off, little one," he said, trying to be comforting. Roan nodded, letting Mareg steer him towards the inn.

They went through the front door and into the lobby, and while Roan shakily conversed with the innkeeper to get them a room, Mareg took to looking around. It was a quaint inn, nothing incredibly fancy, but it was well kept and homey, just how Mareg remembered, comforting smells and all. Roan returned a minute later with the key in hand, and they walked down the short hallway into the rented room.

The door creaked open, and their eyes were immediately left with the promise of the rainbowed sheets on the four soft, fluffy beds. There were two tables on respective sides of the room with lit lanterns on them, and an oil lamp burned by the doorway. Sunlight leaked through the stained glass windowpane to their right, giving the room a colorful shine. Mareg smiled at Roan and took to unpacking his things, setting them out on his bed and sorting them to place into the dressers and cupboards. Roan did likewise, but went into the kitchen of the inn with bits of food to prepare dinner so that the other two would have a nice warm meal to come back to. He came back about an hour later, just around sunset, to place the food on the table. Mareg smiled and said, "This food holds the fragrance of a feast fit for a king."

Roan smiled back and went up to his bed to sit down. Lying back, he looked out the window to his left. He could see snippets of the sky through the different colors of glass in the pane, but all were distorted, as though he were looking at the outside world through a mist. Looking away, he saw that Mareg had taken a seat on the bed directly to his right. Roan sat up and said, "I'm going to change, alright?" and Mareg nodded. Roan walked over to the dresser and pulled out a clean set of clothes, set them on the bed, and stood with his back facing the window. Slowly and deliberately, hands shaking, he pulled off his shirt, and as he did so, he noticed that Mareg was beginning to take off pieces of his battle armor. His heart racing, snippets of that fateful conversation began to come back to Roan.

_"It is truly a wonderful time! I am glad to have you back to fight alongside us, little one.."_

_"R-really? Thank you, Mareg."_

_"Yes! Your fighting skills rivat those of animal warriors, and I find you good company."_

Roan then began to slip off his trousers, letting them fall to his feet with that slight thump of fabric hitting wood floor.

_"Mareg, in your village, are there many couples?"_

_"Yes, little one, there are many. We live together in peace and harmony, keeping love within us even through our trials."_

_"You mean you have someone?"_

_"No, I have no mate. Why do you ask? Do you have a mate?"_

_"Um, n-no, I don't."_

Mareg was disrobing as well, now left in little else than his loincloth. Roan could feel himself shaking, and his heart was beating so hard that he could feel it in his throat and fingertips. Cautiously, Mareg came up to Roan, his pace ending right in front of the boy. Roan soon felt a great beastly hand placed upon his side, just above his hip, and then another on his other side. He shuddered at the touch, warmth spreading across his insides.

_"Mareg…how do you see me?"_

"_Little one, the combination of the stars and your presence combine to be the equivalent of sitting beside nature itself." _

_"Does that mean…you care for me?"_

_"Yes, little one, I suppose it does mean that I care for you."_

_"…Mareg?"_

_"Yes?"_

Roan put his hands on Mareg's muscle-bound chest, taking him in. The thick scar that ran across the right side of his chest caught Roan's eye, and he traced two of his fingers along it, and he felt the large man's heart race underneath his other hand. Mareg wondered at the feeling, the delicate fingers tracing across his skin. He shivered with the feeling, breathing in the boy's scent.

_"I think I care for you too."_

_"In truth?"_

Mareg's hands moved slowly lower, coming to rest on Roan's hips. Roan felt anticipation building; his body was begging for more. Mareg felt the same anticipation and allowed his index finger to slip under the line of the boy's undergarments. Roan leaned forward to brush his lips against Mareg's chest, feeling the rough skin against his face.

_"In truth."_

Then they both broke. His mind wild, running images through his head of what was to come, Roan allowed himself to be laid down upon the bed. Mareg crawled in with him, and they faced each other for a brief second before they began. Mareg pulled the hair tie out of Roan's hair and stroked it as Roan snuggled closer to the other man's body. The blonde boy gasped as he felt a hand sliding down the front of his body, first at his neck, to his chest, down to his stomach, then crawling below the line of his boxers. When he felt the roughness of Mareg's hand over himself, his breathing hastened, his mind racing faster and faster. Then Mareg slowly wound his fingers around Roan, and a small moan escaped the boy's lips, exiting with a hot breath onto the beast man's chest. He looked up into Mareg's eyes, smiling nervously, and Mareg smiled back before gripping firmer, a louder cry escaping Roan's lips. He hugged the large man tightly, as though he were clasping for dear life. Mareg put his other arm around the boy and began to stroke him, first slowly, then faster and faster yet. With each pass, Roan's excitement increased, his breaths came hotter and louder, his moans more desperate. Mareg purred deeply, snuggling close to the boy.

But all the while, Roan couldn't stop thinking about his responsibility in his family, his heritage, the things expected of him. Doubt squirmed like a worm in his heart, even as he felt the beginning of the end of the experience crawling into his insides and making him crazy. Both feelings building, Roan was becoming more and more confused with each passing second, until both guilt and pleasure collided in his heart, vying for their positions. With tears clawing at the corners of his eyes, he pushed away from Mareg, sitting up on the bed and wiping the tears away with a closed fist. Mareg sat up as well, puzzled, and put a hand on the boy's shoulder once again. "Little one, what is wrong? What has happened?"

But Roan simply shrugged him off, dressing in his clean clothes as quickly as his shaky, confused body and hands would allow him. Looking back at Mareg for a moment, and seeing him there, he felt sadness tear at his heart. Straightening himself and telling himself it was for the best, he opened the door. "I'm going for a walk," he said firmly, closing the door behind him and shutting out his feelings along with the confused Mareg.


End file.
